Google+ has launched a redesign of its pages with an emphasis on much needed improvements in usability.

The most significant change is a reorganization and redesign of the social media site’s navigation. The menu bar now displays as column on the left with large icons that clearly indicate the section one is in. Additionally, the improved navigation makes it now more user intuitive to switch between personal Google+ page and company Google+ page. This task was extremely cumbersome in the prior version of the navigation.

Additional changes to mention are improvements to hangouts, integration of the Picasa photo editor, new Explore page, and a slider feature in circles.

As far as the new design is concerned, there has already been critical remarks about its odd whitespace on the right side and the obvious mimicking of Facebook with the new profile banner.

The official Google+ promotional videos puts a happy face to these changes:

Image sharing social media site Pinterest, that started in 2010, is boasting some impressive numbers (and much media attention) in the first quarter of 2012. As of early 2012, Pinterest is driving about the same amount of traffic as Twitter to retailers’ websites, and its user base is growing fast. Twitter’s growth in its first two years of business from 2006 and 2008 was 3 million users where as Pinterest has grown its user base from its launch in 2010 to today, 2012, with 10.4 million users.

Pinterest has earned its status as a real social media player, and now has brand retailers and corporations looking into the site’s possibilities in more detail. Although there has been some very valid discussion about the copyright dilemmas of the rather free-spirited image sharing and bookmarking practices, not all retailers regard image sharing as a negative, but in fact have taken steps to encourage the “pinning” of image product content on their websites. Many brand retailers targeting young female adults have gone ahead and integrated Pinterest’s “Pin it” button system to their website for easy pinning of their site’s image content. For instance, Anthropologie just recently (as of March 2012) added “Pin it” button integrations to its website thereby clearly regarding Pinterest social media sharing with an equal level of importance for brand marketing as Facebook.

Integrating “Pin it” Button Image Sharing System To Your Website

If your company is in the retail business with a target audience consisting of female and/or young consumers, it is worth considering adding “Pin it” button integrations to your website’s product catalog. Pins created from your website’s image content have a potential of producing significant traffic to your website.

Becoming an Active Pinterest Member

Some brand retailers have also joined the Pinterest user base with their own Pinterest boards. If your audience is using Pinterest then this might be a good idea as well. Pinterest users have their ideas of good pinning practices, and most likely, will not appreciate any heavy target marketing via Pinterest’s pages. The person in charge of your company’s Pinterest account should be a Pinterest lover who enjoys pinning and interacting in Pinterest beyond any hard sales goals. The spirit should be inviting and inspiring, rather than targeting and hard-selling. An in-between solution would be to use Pinterest as a personal taste and style board with a link to your “work” website such as the case of Interaria’s web designer Meri’s Pinterest style board that is a collage of professional and personal interests.

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